Donna Jo Napoli, award-winning children’s author and distinguished linguist, spoke to an audience of over 90 librarians, educators, students, and community members on November 7 at the McNamara Alumni Center as part of  CEHD Book Week 2019. Book Week is an annual celebration of children’s books and authors organized by Department of Curriculum and Instruction.  

Napoli, who has published over 60 titles for children, young adults, and adults—and dozens of academic papers and monographs—shared her perspectives on artistic freedom and the quest for social justice in the children’s literature world as part of her talk. 

Over the course of the lecture, Napoli offered advice to young artists, calling them to welcome and be thankful for criticism, recognize that perfection in the arts is an illusion, and—above all— “do the homework” that the writing requires.

Her message resonated well with the crowd, with one student in attendance reflecting that Napoli’s advice made her feel more confident as a writer and a future teacher, stating, “You don’t have to be able to relate to everything or every child in order to be understanding and knowledgeable.”

Her talk, “How I choose what to write about? Artistic freedom and the quest for social justice in the children’s literature world” joins a legacy of great speeches by children’s authors at the University of Minnesota. Over its 78 years as a tradition, Book Week has hosted some of the most notable authors of children’s and young adult literature, including Madeleine L’Engle, Kate DiCamillo, Christopher Paul Curtis, and Gene Luen Yang.

Learn more about past CEHD Book Week events and explore literacy education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.